Thursday, June 26, 2008

James Gist Prepares for the NBA Draft

The NBA Draft is tonight, and James Gist (2004-08) has been traveling the country working out for a variety of teams. Most media outlets project him as a late second round pick tonight. The Washington Times has a long feature article about Gist's draft preparation:

There is no such certainty for Gist. Instead, he attended the league's predraft camp in Orlando, Fla., last month. He has spent the last two weeks on the road, bouncing from workout to workout.

Among the stops: Houston; San Antonio; Sacramento, Calif.; Chicago; Portland, Ore.; Cleveland; Toronto; and Milwaukee. Less than a week ago, Boston called to arrange a workout less than 36 hours before the draft.

All could be destinations for Gist, who is listed among the final 10 picks on several mock drafts. NBAdraft.net projects him as the 51st pick to Dallas, while Draft Express (54th to Houston) and Collegehoops.net (58th to the Los Angeles Lakers) also have him being selected.

The Diamondback says Gist is forecast as an energetic defensive stopper off the bench in the NBA:

Gist welcomes any role he can claim and realizes that he won't be a double-double threat like he was over the past couple of years.

"Coming into the NBA, I don't plan on playing a lot," Gist said. "They have their guys who can do a lot of scoring, and I don't look at my role as that. I'm a defender; I look to defend the [small forward position]. Come in and guard the Tracy McGradys of the league, the Kobe Bryants."